# Show HN: I built a command palette for the terminal – 6.2MB, pure Go, no fzf

> Source: <https://github.com/matheuzgomes/decoreba>
> Published: 2026-07-21 17:22:17+00:00

Inline finder for the commands you use every day and never quite memorize.

[
](https://www.npmjs.com/package/decoreba)[
](https://go.dev)[
](https://github.com/matheuzgomes/decoreba/actions)[
](/matheuzgomes/decoreba/blob/master/LICENSE)

~2 ms startup · 6.2 MB binary · zero dependencies

[Features](#features) · [Install](#install) · [Quick start](#quick-start) · [Usage](#usage) · [Shell](#shell-integration) · [Sync](#gist-sync) · [MCP](#mcp-server)

**Inline overlay**— Opens below the cursor, not as a fullscreen app. Dismiss without trace. Pure ANSI escape codes, no libraries.** Fuzzy search + typo tolerance**— Damerau-Levenshtein distance catches typos. Accent normalization (`próximo`

matches`proximo`

).**Recency ranking**— Score = fuzzy match + usage count + exponential decay (48h half-life). Pinned commands stay at top.** Workflows**— Multi-step commands with interactive runner. Each step is a title + command pair.`Enter`

steps forward,`Ctrl+X`

runs all.**Zero dependencies**— Pure Go standard library. No ncurses, no fzf, no daemon. Single 6.2 MB binary.** MCP server**— Model Context Protocol over stdin/stdout. Lets AI agents search, add, edit, and execute from your vault.

```
npm install -g decoreba
```

Downloads a prebuilt binary for your platform. No Go toolchain needed.

```
go install github.com/matheuzgomes/decoreba/cmd/decoreba@latest
decoreba                    # auto-detect context from cwd
decoreba git                # search within "git" context
decoreba add                # add a command
decoreba edit 0c9           # edit by id prefix
decoreba stats              # vault statistics
```

See the full reference below.

The overlay appears below your prompt, not fullscreen. Type to fuzzy-search.
`Enter`

copies the command. `Ctrl+X`

executes it.

Note

`Shift+Enter`

also executes, but only in terminals that implement the
[kitty keyboard protocol](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/keyboard-protocol/)
(kitty, WezTerm, Ghostty). In most terminals `Shift+Enter`

sends the same
byte as `Enter`

and will copy instead.

When results exceed the viewport, an overflow indicator appears (`… 3 more`

).
If the terminal is 3 rows or shorter, a graceful message is shown instead.
`NO_COLOR`

or `--no-color`

disables all ANSI codes.

**Universal** (every terminal emulator)

| Key | Action |
|---|---|
`↑` / `Ctrl+K` |
Navigate up |
`↓` / `Ctrl+J` |
Navigate down |
`Enter` |
Copy selected |
`1` – `9` |
Direct select (empty search) |
`Ctrl+X` |
Execute selected (press twice, or `y` to confirm) |
`Ctrl+E` |
Edit selected |
`Ctrl+S` |
Toggle pin |
`Backspace` (empty) |
Remove context chip |
`Tab` / `Shift+Tab` |
Next / previous field (form) |
`Esc` / `Ctrl+C` |
Cancel |

**Kitty protocol only** (kitty, WezTerm, Ghostty)

| Key | Action |
|---|---|
`Shift+Enter` |
Execute selected |

`Ctrl+X`

triggers execution. A confirmation prompt appears:
`Run this command? y/yes n/no`

. Press `Ctrl+X`

again or `y`

to confirm.
Any other key cancels.

With `--shell-output`

, the command text is printed to stdout instead of the
clipboard. The shell widget (below) strips the prefix automatically:

```
decoreba docker ps --shell-output   # prints "✓ docker ps" or "EXEC:docker ps"
```

Five fields: context, title, command, tags, notes. Context autocompletes from
existing entries. Tags render as colored chips. `Ctrl+W`

turns the command
into a multi-step workflow editor.

`decoreba edit <id>`

or `Ctrl+E`

from the palette reopens the form pre-filled.

Commands can have multiple steps. Each step is a title + command pair.

`Enter`

runs the next step. `Ctrl+X`

runs all remaining (confirms first).
`Esc`

aborts. Failed steps show `✗`

. Subprocess I/O routes through `/dev/tty`

so interactive programs still work when piped.

Use `{{placeholder}}`

or `{{name:default}}`

in any command. On copy or
execute, decoreba prompts for each value inline:

``` bash
$ decoreba deploy

  Container name: [web]
```

Generate tab completions for subcommands, contexts, and sync actions:

```
eval "$(decoreba completion bash)"   # or zsh / fish
```

Opens the palette pre-filled with whatever you typed. `Enter`

inserts the
command at the cursor. `Ctrl+X`

executes (confirms first).

```
source <(decoreba shell bash)   # or zsh
```

Installs both widget and completions into your shell rc file in one step. Creates a backup before modifying.

```
decoreba init              # interactive
decoreba init --yes        # non-interactive
```

Sync your vault across machines via a private GitHub Gist.

```
decoreba sync init          # create a new Gist and upload
decoreba sync push          # upload local changes
decoreba sync pull          # download remote changes
decoreba sync status        # show ahead/behind/diverged/clean
```

Requires `DECOREBA_GIST_TOKEN`

(classic PAT with `gist`

scope). Pass
`--encrypt`

to encrypt with AES-256-GCM before upload. The key is derived
from the token.

Runs a [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server over
stdin/stdout. Lets AI agents (Claude Desktop, Cline, etc.) interact with
your command vault directly.

```
decoreba mcp
```

| Tool | Action |
|---|---|
`decoreba_search` |
Fuzzy search across all contexts |
`decoreba_get` |
Look up a command by ID |
`decoreba_list_contexts` |
List all contexts with counts |
`decoreba_add` |
Add a new command |
`decoreba_edit` |
Update an existing command |
`decoreba_remove` |
Delete by ID |
`decoreba_execute` |
Run a command and return output |
`decoreba_stats` |
Vault statistics |

Write and delete tools require `confirm: true`

. Dangerous commands
(`rm -rf /`

, `> /dev/sda`

, etc.) are blocked by a built-in denylist.
Auto-backup runs before every modification.

Single JSON file. Atomic writes (save to `.tmp`

, rename over target).

| OS | Path |
|---|---|
| Linux | `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/decoreba/commands.json` |
| macOS | `~/Library/Application Support/decoreba/commands.json` |
| Windows | `%AppData%\decoreba\commands.json` |

Override the directory with `$DECOREBA_CONFIG`

(the filename is always
`commands.json`

).

| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Binary | 6.2 MB (CLI, stripped with `-s -w` ) |
| Startup | ~2 ms |
| RSS | ~7 MB |
| Dependencies | zero (pure Go stdlib) |
| Targets | linux amd64/arm64, macOS amd64/arm64, windows amd64 |

**Appear, don't replace.** Inline overlay, not alternate screen. The terminal is exactly as it was before.**Right answer before you finish typing.** Fuzzy + typo tolerance + recency + pinning.**Keyboard-first.** Every action has a shortcut. The hint line teaches them progressively. No mouse.**Context over categories.** Commands live under the tool they belong to. Auto-detection from cwd.**Accessible.**`NO_COLOR`

and`--no-color`

disable all ANSI escape codes.